Kiltale hurling club have gone through somewhat of a barren spell with regards to success at adult level over the past decade or so, but a win in the junior II championship this year is the boost needed in the area according to long serving player Paul Regan. Success in the senior hurling championship has eluded Kiltale since their last victory in 1983, their second title in as many years and their only two final wins to date in the SHC. But the team has gone through a transition period over the last six or seven years and this year's side, once again trained by Cyril Maguire, boasted eight players who are under-21. Kiltale's record in this year's senior championship makes for impressive reading as their only defeat in the campaign came at the hands of eventual champions Kilmessan, while ironically they only suffered one loss, other results meant that they failed to make the knock-out stages, but Paul admits that it was a good campaign by the side. "We were unfortunate not to have qualified out of the group, we only lost to Kilmessan by four points and also drew with Trim so hopes were high that we could at least make the knock-out stages," said Paul. "A number of the team is still under-21 and that is something that we have not had for a good few years now, so we'd be very hopeful of making an impression on next year's championship." Kiltale were drawn in a group with Kilmessan, Trim, Rathmoylon, Boardsmill and Wolfe Tones and although they finished with seven points from the five matches, it was not enough to see them through. They started the year brightly with a draw against a fancied Boardsmill side, before championship favourites Kilmessan beat them on a scoreline of 1-14 to 1-10. A nine point victory was recorded over Wolfe Tones in their next outing, while a draw with Trim gave them real hope of qualifying for the next stage and they completed their group matches with a 1-12 to 1-9 win over Rathmolyon. Trim managed to scrape a play-off place at the expense of Kiltale and thus end their interest in the 2003 senior hurling championship, but their Junior II side were also having a good year. "John Donoghue was a big loss to the senior side this year and with him back in the side next year along with the same commitment that was given this year, who knows what will happen," said the junior winning captain. " We knew we could do well in the junior as we had 25 to 30 lads out training most nights with the majority being available for the junior championship and with Lorcan Kelly as manager, we had a man to motivate the players." Victory was secured over Wolfe Tones in the first round of the junior grade two championship on a score line of 5-16 to 1-02, while Gaeil Colmcille were also rather easily taken care of in the second round with a 13 point win, 2-15 to 1-05. The semi-final saw Kiltale take on St Patrick's and once again their vast experience mixed with a blend of youth was too much for the newcomers and Kelly's charges prevailed by 4-10 to 2-05. "There was great excitement around the area after reaching the junior final, even though many wouldn't think of winning the junior as much, but for a club like ourselves, a win at any grade is always worthwhile," stressed Paul. The final itself was played in Pairc Tailteann against a Kildalkey side who themselves had a mixture of youth and experience in their side and a close encounter was expected. The shining light for Kiltale was 15-year-old Peter Durnin whose ability to beat opponents and pick off scores was instrumental in their victory over a battling Kildalkey side. Indeed along with Durnin's enthusiasm was the experience and hard working efforts of former Meath star Paddy Kelly, Joe Kane and Paul Regan, who played the captain's part to perfection. Both sides were slow to start and after a number of bad wides from the two teams, three Durnin points gave with Kiltale a narrow one point lead after 15 minutes, Paul Heavey and Anthony Monaghan firing over for Kildalkey. Durnin was to prove the thorn in Kildalkey's side as he tapped another couple of frees as the half-time score line finished 0-7 to 0-2 in favour of the team in maroon. Kildalkey came out fighting in the second half and narrowed the gap to one point with points from Paul Heavey, Tom Masterson and two from Sean Heavey. The switch of Ollie Regan from corner-forward to the middle of the park proved a masterstroke as he fired over 65's to push Kiltale further ahead once again. Durnin and another fifteen-year-old Paul Garvey made it 0-11 to 0-6 in the space of four minutes, but Kildalkey hit back once again with a Sean Heavey free. Durnin again and Eamonn Regan further stretched Kiltale's lead and when Stuart Kennedy capitalised on a mistake by Kildalkey goalkeeper Tony Costello; the game was over as a contest. It was left to the teenage sensation to finish the scoring for a merited final victory on a score line of 1-14 to 0-10. Kiltale were crowned champions as their inspirational captain Paul Regan collected the cup to add to the two O'Growney Cup medals he won earlier in his career. This year's success was Kiltale's first adult championship since winning the junior title in 1993, and their captain points out that it was an important win for the area. "For the last few years we have been team building and although the team was made up of older players like myself and Paddy Kelly, we had a number of under-21's in the side as well," he said. "Young players like Peter Durnin and Paul Garvey are bright prospects for the future and both are fine hurlers and very levelled headed, which bodes well for the future." Although there was no success achieved at underage level, Paul points out that the club have an impressive underage structure which they are beginning to benefit from now. "Paddy Kelly has done Trojan work with the underage over the last few years and we have a number of strong sides, particularly at Under-16 where three or four already played junior this year. "Even though we are a small community and have small numbers to choose from compared to some of the clubs in the county, the underage has really been looked after in recent years. The club are looking for a big effort next year for as well as hoping that the senior side do well in the championship; we will be officially opening the newly developed pitch and dressing rooms. "A lot of effort has gone into the work done on the grounds with the majority being done by volunteers in the area and this is a credit to the people of the locality," he added. There is no doubt that Kiltale's hard work at grass roots level is about to pay off and it may not be too long before the Jubilee Cup is captured again. The winning Junior II side were: D Donoghue, S Walsh, J Kane, B Griffith, R Bannon, P Kelly, P Garvey (0-1), P Regan, E Moyles, L Whelan, T Bannon (0-1), P Durnin (0-9), S Ryan, S Ryan, O Regan (0-2). Subs: S Kennedy (1-0) for Ryan, E Regan for Whelan. Tweet

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